My husband is desperate to use me for money rituals, wife testifies

A mother of three, Nike Akinbile, has told a Mapo Customary Court in Ibadan that her husband, Femi, is desperately making effort to use her for monetary ritual.

Nike, who resides at Olunloyo Area of the city, while testifying in her divorce case against her husband yesterday said: “For the past two years now, Femi has been making frantic effort to get rich at all cost and I am his primary target for that purpose.

“Not too long ago, I was just lying on the bed, Femi thought that I had slept off, so he attempted to strike my eyelids with traditional eyeliner, also known as tiro.

“I have received several visions that he wants to use me as a sacrificial lamb for the ritual he is making and I don’t want to die now.”

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), she said her husband does not even cater for her and the three children, who lack access to basic care.

Nike, who urged the court to dissolve the 11-year-old marriage, said she had made up her mind about parting ways with him and nothing could change it.

In his defence, Femi, a businessman in Akanran Area of Ibadan, denied all the allegations and opposed the divorce petition, saying he does not want the children to encounter any problem in life.

“Your honour, I have suffered greatly all this while to sustain and marry Nike. I was the one that sent her to school and made her self-employed.

“For Nike’s education, I enrolled, wrote her examinations for her, as well as supervise her other academic pursuits.

“In order to be well balanced in life, I encouraged her to learn tailoring, which is her source of livelihood today.

“As if those are not enough, I buy Nike all sorts of ladies’ make ups to make her look beautiful and good, but Nike does not use any of the things, like shoes, bags, clothes and so on.

“Instead, Nike always tell me that she must take them to the church for cleansing and eventually dumped them.’’

He said the major conflict was that “we don’t attend the same church. Her pastor told her that the make ups I give her are weapons of devil.”

Femi further told the court that Nike compelled their underage children to fast for days, thereby giving the impression that they were from impoverished and wretched home.

He tendered sacks of the make-ups he bought for his wife over the time as exhibit.